Mutua Bahadur calls for preserving Manipuri culture and identity

Dr. Syed Ahmed *

Mutua Bahadur at a lecture programme on History at D.M. College of Arts on 13th January 2025

Speaking at the lecture programme organized by History Club of D.M. College of Arts, Imphal, on the theme, "History for Tomorrow," at the college on 13th January 2025, Cultural activist, curator, researcher and author showed great concern about the gradual cultural erosion in the State.

He said that the beliefs, practices and traditions of the various communities have seen cultural degradation characterized by the loss of its core elements and values. He was speaking on the topic, "Manipuri diaspora in Myanmar."

Mutua Bahadur, in his lecture, highlighted the history of Manipuri settlement in Myanmar (erstwhile Burma) and their socio-cultural traditions and customs. He mentioned that even though the majority of the Manipuri settlement in Myanmar took place during the Seven Year Devastation (1819-1826), the recorded history informed us that there was matrimonial alliance between the ruling families of the two kingdoms from an early period.

And several Manipuris were taken as captives during the military campaigns by Alaungpaya in the reign of Maharaj Bhagyachandra or Jai Singh (1759-61/1763-98 CE). Manipuris, during those years, were known for their military skills, and a special military unit, popular as Kathe cavalry force, was raised by the Burmese rulers, while the Manipuri Brahmins (Paona) were engaged as court astrologers, he said.

Mutua Bahadur further added: "At present, several Manipuri communities are found settled in various parts of Myanmar. There are Meitei, Meitei Brahmans, Bishnupriyas and Manipuri Muslims. Sadly, majority of the Manipuris have merged with the local Burmese population. The strict Burmese policy of Burmanising the foreign culture, orthodoxy and social segregation among the Manipuris resulted in the gradual decline of the Manipuri population.

During my numerous trips in the country over the years, I observed a large section of the Manipuris adopting Burmese cultural traditions, and could not even speak their mother-tongue. I also came across instances of Burmanised Manipuris celebrating Lai Haroaba. Manipuri Muslims have merged to the Burmese Muslims over the decades. I was invited by a few Manipuri Muslim families in Mandalay. They all had given up their Manipuri culture and identity."

Mutua Bahadur's lecture was supplemented by photographs and videos.

It would be of interest for readers to know that Mutua Bahadur has, over the decades, traveled extensively in Myanmar and Assam and helped the Manipuris in preserving their age-old Manipuri cultural traditions. Mutua Bahadur has also published several books over the years based on his travels and research. Some of the titles of the books include:

1. Manipuri Arts ki Wari (1972)
2. Traditional Textiles of Manipur (1987)
3. The Khamba-Thoibi of Moirang in Manipuri paintings: Bhadra collection (1988)
4. Jewelleries of Manipur (1988)
5. Tribal Art of Manipur (1989)
6. Cane & Bamboo Crafts of Manipur (1994)
7. Traditional Textiles of Manipur (1997)
8. Tribal Hand-woven fabrics of Manipur (2000)
9. Traditional Paintings of Manipur (2003)
10. Illustrated Manuscripts of Manipur (2005)
11. Art of Textile: Manipuri textiles from Bangladesh & Myanmar (2009)
12. Manipuri Costumes Through Ages (India, Bangladesh and Myanmar) (2011)
13. Manipuri Costumes through Ages (2011)
14. Awa: Kate and Paona (2014)
15. Kathe: Myanmarese Meetei (2017)
16. Manipuri Art Language of Symbols (2021), etc.

Mutua Bahadur has written articles on different topics, based on his research in Manipur, Myanmar and Bangladesh, in e-pao.net and others. His writings available in e-pao.net in series include:

1. Illustrated Manuscripts of Manipur
2. Cultural Heritage Complex at Andro Village
3. Manipur Textiles from Bangladesh
4. Manipur in Myanmar
5. Cane and Bamboo Crafts of Manipur
6. Tribal Hand Woven Fabrics of Manipur
7. Manipuri Diaspora in Myanmar: Past and Present
8. Symbolism in the Tribal Art of Manipur, etc.

Mutua Bahadur at a lecture programme on History at D.M. College of Arts on 13th January 2025

One of his greatest achievements is the setting up of a cultural complex fro preservation and promotion of the tangible heritage of the region in 1993 in Andro, a Loi or Scheduled Caste village, around 26 km from Imphal town. In Andro, a sacred fire from ancient times has been burning perpetually. The Complex houses artifacts of the Manipur and other North-eastern states, which include paintings, basketries, bell metals, jewelleries, wood carvings, etc.

One of the most important attractions of the complex is the exact replicas of the traditional houses of different tribes and ethnic groups of the State.

Late Khalen Thokchom, a correspondent of The Telegraph (12/01/2004), had written a piece, entitled, "Historical gift to posterity," which profiles the life and works of Mutua Bahadur.

An extract of the article is reproduced here:

(Mutua Bahadur was) born on January 20, 1948 at Imphal's Keishampat, Mutum Leirak Bahadur started from scratch. He used to work as manual labourer to fund his dream project. He recalls, "I used to paint roads, work as a porter and do all kinds of available jobs to finance my artifact-and-ancient-material collection trips. I went deep into the interiors of tribal villages and paid the owners handsomely to get possession of the treasures. You know, it will not be nice to hear what I did to gather funds for the project, he says sheepishly."

Although Bahadur inherited the spirit of travel and adventure from his father, M. Ningthou, who was a Burmese soldier and a jeweller, it is the strong urge to keep the past alive that triggered the collection spree. Brought up in post-Independence era, Bahadur witnessed in the 1960s an erosion of culture and traditional values of most of the tribal communities, including Meiteis in Manipur. Naturally, there had been a cultural identity crisis among various tribes, with western culture invading the state.

This was precisely the turning point in Bahadur's life. "There was the threat of losing the originality of our culture and traditions in terms of values and materials. Besides, many questioned the originality of our materials. Hence, I decided to collect the artifacts, tools, utensils and coins for preservation. My first collections were diverse woven textile fabrics of different tribes. Then I set eyes on tribal artifacts, he says. Initially trained as a fine artist, he was barely 20 when he started his project of setting up a museum."

The efforts bore fruit. By 1979 he opened what is today known as Mutua Museum at Keishampat. The museum is now used as his office, as all the exhibits have been shifted to a cultural complex, opened in 1993 at Andro village, where a sacred fire perpetually burns since ancient times.

About 26 km from Imphal, the Andro Cultural Complex is preserving and promoting the material heritage of the northeastern India. Spread across 0.93 acre, the complex puts on display basketry, pottery, musical instruments, ornaments, sculptures, paintings, dolls and so on, covering the whole of Northeast. About 100 local orchids are also being preserved here. The collection at the complex includes 29 dolls, representing the recognised tribes of Manipur in traditional attire. Traditional houses of different tribal communities, including Meitei House have been constructed here.

"We used traditional materials and tools to construct them and also preserve them. All the headmen took part in the construction, which was done according to traditional rituals. This is not only to preserve the traditional forms of houses of the tribals but also to symbolize the fact that we are one and united. And we use smoke to preserve them," Bahadur says.

He plans to convert the cultural complex into a composite village of south-east Asian countries.

The next feat achieved by Bahadur is a living museum in Purul village of Senapati district, where the two houses of the headmen of Purul Atongba and Purul Akupta are being preserved. Since its opening in October in 1990, Bahadur provides a monthly payment to headmen, K. Hekhani and S. Koni, to preserve the traditionally carved houses.

The headmen's families are allowed to stay in the houses and encouraged to continue with their traditional living style. Bahadur signed a Memorandum of Understanding to preserve the houses. But his work is not always easy. He has had to work as a servant to get hold of a treasure. But unhappy situations have not deterred him.

His work is not confined only to collecting cultural icons, but also includes published works. His prominent works include books on manuscript paintings of Manipur, tribal art, jewellery, cane and bamboo crafts, traditional textiles and tribal hand-woven fabrics. Some of the books have been translated into Japanese. He could not complete his graduation, but he is a visiting lecturer of Manipur University and lectures IAS probationers on tribal art and culture of Manipur.

Many awards have come his way. The state government has recommended him for the UNESCO prize. The award is yet to come. Next year the Mutua Museum will celebrate its silver jubilee.

Assistant Archaeologist of Manipur State Archaeology, Dr. S. Sujata also delivered a lecture on the topic "Archaeological Research in Manipur." She traced the history of archaeological research in Manipur, and highlighted some of the prominent archaeological sites, their excavations and findings using power-point presentation.

The Lecture programme was graced by Head of Department of History (PG) of Dhanamanjuri University, Dr. Diller Rahman, Head of Department of History, D.M. College of Arts, Samuel Duidang, Head of Department of History, G.P. Women's College, Dina Serto, and former Principal of D.M. College of Arts, Imphal Dr. Ch. Shilleramani as dias members. Faculty members of the colleges under Dhanamanjuri University, academicians, researchers and students were also present at the programme.

History Club was formed on 11th December 2024 by the Department of History, D.M. College of Arts, Imphal, with an aim to promote and explore history by engaging historians, academicians and research scholars, both from the University and outside. The club plans to organize regular academic engagements through lectures, seminars, exhibitions and heritage walks, and also produce publications. The club is jointly managed by faculty members and students.

Mutua Bahadur at a lecture programme on History at D.M. College of Arts on 13th January 2025